Falcons and Raiders Get Huge Division Wins in NFL Week Nine

Week nine brought a number of surprising individual performances in the NFL. An old, grizzled veteran showed flashes of his former self in leading his team to victory (Brett Favre). A pounding back earned his team a shocking win over a team that had turned into a good run defender (Peyton Hillis). Two rookie receivers came out of nowhere to help their teams score critical W’s (Seyi Ajirotutu and Jacoby Ford). These types of stories are one of the many reasons why we love football.

Defensive Rookie

Most Impressive Performance in a Loss

Welcome Back Mike Williams

Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 4 receptions 89 yards 1 TD

Quick Takes

The Dolphins-Ravens matchup was my game to watch. Earlier in the season I saw the Ravens beat the Steelers and the Steelers beat the Dolphins so I was looking forward to closing the loop by watching Miami visit Baltimore.

The Dolphins offensive line is stellar. They forced the Ravens to load up on the blitz to get to Chad Henne. Henne officially threw three interceptions but the first (after Brian Hartline slipped and fell) and the second (a bad Brandon Marshall drop) are kind of unfair to count against him.

Ray Rice looked like he was completely back from early season injuries. Joe Flacco was really bailed out when Sean Smith dropped a sure interception and touchdown.

The Ravens defense did a good job of taking away Brandon Marshall.

I was able to catch the end of the Chargers-Texans game and I’ve got to say I was really shocked at the very bad drop that Andre Johnson had. A superstar wide receiver has to make that catch.

I’m really impressed with Oakland’s efforts to stop Kansas City’s running game. They held the Chiefs to 104 yards on 34 carries. Jamaal Charles did get 53 yards on 10 carries, but most importantly they held him to a long run of 13. I didn’t buy into the Raiders run defense before this game, but I do now.

One BIG Question

Will all of the Colts injuries result in them missing the playoffs?

What performances did you think were Sunday’s best? Let me know by posting a comment below.